Florence Custom Tours - Italy Hotline Custom and Gourmet Tours

Florence

Hailed as the Athens of the Middle Ages and “the Jewel of the Renaissance”, Florence is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities. With its charming Renaissance piazzas, architecturally important palaces, monasteries and museums and the greatest concentration of art for its size of any city on the planet, it’s hardly surprising that Florence is one of Italy’s top destinations.

The significance of Florence goes beyond its beauty. A town of Roman origin, it fell into disarray when the Roman Empire collapsed. Centuries later, it became the beacon that led Europe out of the darkness of the Middle Ages into the light of the Renaissance. Led by a series of enlightened nobles including the Medici family, Florence emerged in the 14th century as a hotbed of artistic, scientific and mercantile endeavor—a center of knowledge and learning. Its powerful leaders fostered and nurtured the work of visionary artists including Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo and great thinkers such as Dante, Boccaccio and Galileo as they built upon the ideals and creations of the ancients to lead Europe toward a new dawn. The importance the Medici placed on education led to the creation of universities and colleges for studies in the liberal arts, with programs still reflected in our educational systems today.

Today, Florence is a vibrant city where art and artisans continue to flourish, making shopping a special event. With many of the world’s greatest works of art within its limits, Florence is a unique destination where one can take in small charming streets, visit top museums and also discover off-the-beaten-path gems that only insiders know about.

Italy Hotline works with a select group of Florence’s finest historians, guides, chefs and sommeliers who offer a depth of knowledge, friendliness and hospitality that will make your visit to Florence unforgettable. Whether you’re interested in learning about Florentine art at the Uffizi and the Accademia, shopping for famed Tuscan leather and artisan products, or sampling Florence’s superb wines and cuisine, our private guides will meet your every need.

Special Itineraries

Florentine Fabric and Fashion

Florence has always held an important place in the history of fashion from the important wool and silk trade of the 1300’s on through the designers of today. We will visit the remarkable shoes at the Ferragamo museum, touch luscious silk and linen handwoven on antique looms at the Antico Setificio Silk Factory, view the amazing designer Cappucci's innovative 1960's designs at his Villa Bardini, and admire intricate historical pieces at the Pitti Palace Costume museum. This tour pays homage to the great artisans and craftsmen of Florence who for centuries have been created some of the most desired goods on the planet. It is also a great way to see some off the beaten path neighborhoods of Florence and witness how ancient traditions are still alive and well but have kept up with the modern world. You will witness first hand how some Florentine families made their fortunes by creating luxury goods that were irresistible!

Formal Italian Villa Gardens

Florence is set in a naturally beautiful setting in a valley on the Arno River, yet there has been much done to curate and cultivate the lands around it. Beautiful vistas are everywhere, including tall graceful cypress trees, small country roads and palaces and villas on every hilltop. The gardens around Florence are rightly famous for their wondrous beauty, finely manicured by beautiful Villas. On this tour we will visit three splendid formal gardens in the hills surrounding Florence: two in Fiesole and one in nearby Settignano. Learn the language and symbolism of the garden structure and plants, and see the villa’s relationship to the surrounding countryside and small towns. Depending on the day of the week we can add a lunch stop and the gardens of Medici villas of Castello and Petraia in the afternoon.

The Renaissance Frescoes of Florence

Florence, the city of arts, with the most densely packed amount of artistic treasures in the world, is alive with the creations of its artists and craftsmen, great writers and thinkers. The history of Florence is illustrated in the precious frescoes that decorate so many of the walls of family homes, chapels, and churches. Following these great works of art, the history of this city, its artists, great families, trials and tribulations come alive in a dramatic way. Fresco painting was handed down from the Ancient Romans and examples can still be seen in Pompeii and the great museums of Rome. Here we will look at how the artists of the Renaissance used these frescoes to tell the story of this dramatic city. Depending on the time and day of the week, our visit can include: Oratorio of San Martino, monks cells at San Marco, two Last Suppers, chapels at SS Annuziata, Santa Trinita’, Santa Maria Novella, Palazzo Davanzati, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the Capponi chapel at St. Felicita and the Silver Museum at the Pitti Palace, Masaccio's Brancacci Chapel at the Carmine church.

Pride of the Medici: The Boboli Gardens of Florence

Florence is set in a naturally beautiful setting in a valley on the Arno River, yet there has been much done to curate and cultivate the lands around it. Beautiful vistas are everywhere, including tall graceful cypress trees, small country roads and palaces and villas on every hilltop. The gardens in and around Florence are rightly famous for their wondrous beauty, finely manicured by beautiful Villas. On this tour we will visit two splendid formal gardens within the hills of the city of Florence: the Boboli Gardens and the Bardini Gardens. Learn the language and symbolism of the garden structure and plants, and see the villa’s relationship to its surroundings. Admire the sculptures along with fountain design and the architecture of the grottos within these “outdoor” museums. Understand the importance, as well as the transformation of these gardens over the centuries while we explore vast areas at a leisurely place. Enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the historic city center while sipping a caffe’ at the Kaffehaus.

Pride of the Medici: The Boboli Gardens of Florence photo

Walks in the Historic City Center

Complete Florence

For those with a bit more time on their hands, our full day tour gives an in-depth experience of the city and includes both the Uffizi and the Accademia. In addition we take you on a visit to Florence's well-known leather and food markets together with a stop for lunch at a delightful Florentine restaurant hand-picked by your expert guide. You can be sure to sample the best that Florence has to offer. Hailed as the Athens of the Middle Ages, Florence was the beacon that led Europe out of centuries of darkness and into the light of the Renaissance. Led by a series of enlightened noble merchants with the lead of the Medici Family, Florence emerged in the 14th century as a beacon of artistic and mercantile endeavor. Fostering and nurturing the work of a new crop of visionary artists such as Botticelli, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo its return to the works of the ancients led Europe towards a new dawn. With your private guide you will visit the intimate cobblestone streets and Piazzas of enchanting Florence as the artistic and architectural highlights of the city unfold before you.

Orientation Walking Tour of Florence

Introduce yourself to the vibrant history of Florence's antique center winding through the piazzas and pretty small streets, past palazzi, courtyards, churches and bridges. Your guide will also point out the best museums, cafés, restaurants, markets and shops. Get to know the city as the Florentine's do, learning as we go. Florence is a city which holds many secrets and her charms are not all apparent right off the bat. Like a coquettish woman she reveals them little by little if you show some interest! Many fascinating sites are unmarked and you need to be with a true local that knows the ins and out of the city to make it come alive. When you have finished this tour you will know just about all you need to in order to get around, order coffee or lunch, and where the most beautiful parts of the city are.

Florence Express

With your private guide you will visit the intimate cobblestone streets and Piazzas of enchanting Florence as the artistic and architectural highlights of the city unfold before you. You can choose to visit either the Uffizi or the Accademia where your guide's vast knowledge of Florentine art and history will insure a memorable visit. All the while your guide will also be giving you a thorough background on the fascinating and influential Medici merchant family who not only created the first medieval mercantile fortune, but whose patronage of the arts led directly to the birth of the Renaissance, out of which came such great artists as Botticelli and Michelangelo. Your guide will bring the city's history alive from its greatest achievements to its darkest moment with the rise of the mad priest Savanarola and his Bonfire of the Vanities in which countless great works of art were lost to the flames.

In the Footsteps of the Medici

The illustrious Medici family’s patronage was instrumental in supporting what came to be known as Renaissance art and Humanistic thought in Florence. These ideas blossomed and ended the Dark Ages. We can admire their artistic imprint and learn about the family on our visit to their first palazzo, their library, their parish church, and their tombs. With a visit to the stone masonry Medici Palace, we will see the surprising sites behind the great facade- including a charming and graceful internal colonnaded courtyard. Another very important and beautiful space is the Laurenziana Biblioteca Library. It holds 11,000 manuscripts and 4500 rare books from the early days of printing. This library came about as the Medici developed from a successful and wealthy Merchant family into a family obsessed with knowledge and learning who actively gathered important manuscripts from around the mediterranean and opened schools to teach Latin, Greek and Hebrew. The architecture of this library is a very fascinating creation of Michelangelo. The Medici Chapel celebrates the family's power and influence and its role as the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The relationship between its outside appearance and inner chapel are fascinating. This was Michelangelo's first architectural venture.

Hidden Jewels of Florence

For those who have been in Florence before or who want something off the beaten path, this tour takes you to some of the marvelous small museums nestled throughout the town that might not be found on ones own. Florence is a city that was once completely walled and at the ready to defend itself. They remained outside of Papal control and had a large military fortress within their walls to defend it. The city is tightly packed and behind austere medieval and Renaissance walls there are an enormous amount of hidden secrets. Depending on the day of the week the tour takes place, it can include a 14th century tower home, an early Medici palazzo with stunning Renaissance decorations, a Renaissance Last Supper, a rare grisaille fresco cycle, a miraculous Madonna, an intriguing Michelangelo vestibule, a soaring granary, or Brunelleschi’s poetic architecture. Since we customize all our tours if you have a special request we can certainly put the perfect itinerary together for you!

Food & Wine

Florentine Market Tour and Cooking Class

Italy is known for its incredible food and the Tuscan region is understandably famous for its traditional culinary specialties - from the special DOC Lard of Colonata, to cheeses aged in Etruscan caves, from special salamis such as Finocchiona to bread and tomato soup, from wild boar ragu to roasted porcini mushroom, and from truffles shaved over home-made pasta to wild grilled asparagus; there is no end to this regions mouth watering specialties! Regarding wine, there is an incredible variation between traditional and designer wines - from the earthy terroire wines of small vineyards, to the Super Tuscans and everything in between. Begin your day in Florence with a local chef at the market to pick out the best seasonal ingredients for your private cooking lesson, to meet the sellers and producers and learn about what makes Tuscan foods and Florentine recipes unique. From here you will go to your cooking class in a Florentine home or at a local restaurant, for either a hands on lesson or demonstration- as you prefer. Here you will learn recipes for a five course meal with wines matched to each dish. Recipes will be prepared for you to take home as well. When in season, we will propose specialty dishes such as the Schiacciata d'uva- the 'squashed grape' dessert in the photo, artichokes, truffles or porcini for instance.

Florentine Market Tour and Cooking Class photo

In the Kitchen with Roasters, Bakers and Chocolate Makers

Every successful food artist has a secret and we want to let you in on it with this tour of the best in artisan food production. Florence has the benefit of a combination of the most traditional culinary producers of breads and pizza, pastries, fine chocolates, coffee and gelato. With this tour we go behind the scenes in order to see what lies behind the production and how age old recipes have met with modern creative interpretation to produce a delightful culinary treat. In each place you will sample the best of these key Florentine products and have an insiders look at the work behind the scenes, meeting these people that devote their lives to realizing the perfect recipes and delectable taste. You will have the opportunity to make purchases and your culinary guide will point out historic sites of interest along the way relating to the food history of Florence. This tour is designed so that you will have the opportunity to taste a wide variety of specialties so plan on making a meal of this tour!

Behind the Scenes Market Visit with Food Artisans and Chefs

Florence holds a unique charm due its strong ties visually and economically to the surrounding countryside. Florentines, sophisticated, yet down to earth, cultivate this relationship in order to bring out the best in artisan production of food and wine. They take their gastronomy seriously, as shown by the incredible amount of great restaurants, cafes, wine bars and osteria that offer traditional Tuscan cuisine with a modern sophistication. We have designed this tour so you can meet the producers in the market as well as the chefs who create their magic with these ingredients. We open up the secret door for you in order to highlight the special relationship between artisan producers of fine traditional products and chefs, learning about their kitchen. We start your day with our culinary guide visiting a special food market to meet individual producers, and learn about the vast wealth and variety of products ranging from the traditional to the gourmet. We will take a look at everything from the fish market and what seafood is prized in Florence, to the butchers and how meat cuts vary from what we have at home, and about traditional breeds such as the Chianina that produces the famous Fiorentina steak. In the market you will have a tasting of artisan cured meats and cheeses, seasonal fruits and vegetables and olive oils.

Behind the Scenes Market Visit with Food Artisans and Chefs photo